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From 1990 to 2015, the world’s megacities have increased from 10 to 28, as people are attracted to urban centres more and more; however, soaring pedestrian numbers and land prices mean new buildings need to head skywards…

When completed next year, Twentytwo, an innovative new development located minutes from the new London Liverpool Street Crossrail station, will stand 278 metres tall and showcase a number of new construction solutions in a challenging historic and densely-populated urban environment. Developers, planners and architects around the world can turn to Twentytwo as a model case in building smarter, faster and safer.

The ability to build higher has long been linked to advances in elevator technologies. Today, elevators are integral to constructing megastructures and moving the millions of tenants who use these buildings.

Twentytwo has over 1,100 people, including of course engineers, who are working on the site – which when fully occupied will be home to 12,000 workers and visitors – so the elevator solution is critical. For this reason, the developers turned to Otis for its SkyBuild elevator system: the premier technology for the world’s tallest buildings.

Installed at the beginning of construction, the SkyBuild elevator facilitates the movement of crews and tools quickly and safely (around eight times faster than a standard goods lift) without the need of a crane or external lift, or exposure to weather which can also stall construction. The elevator’s unique hydraulic piston system enables the lift’s mechanical system to climb one floor at a time in step with the building’s construction.

When complete, the SkyBuild elevators at Twentytwo will quickly transition for service as SkyRise elevators, Otis’s premier elevator for the world’s tallest buildings, bringing the Twentytwo’s total elevator count to 57.

The City of London’s medieval street layout and estimated 400,000 daily commuter population pose additional challenges at Twentytwo. By moving people and materials around the site quickly, SkyBuild enables developers to reduce the disruption to the local environment and community caused by goods delivery. SkyBuild is fully integrated into the site’s logistics, which results in better productivity and lower costs.

Twentytwo will be 130,0002 metres of offices, social spaces and public realm, and brings with it designs that are aimed to reflect changes in the workplace, the city and its tenants. With this in mind, the team behind Twentytwo designed the 62-storey building – mindful of what the occupiers of the 2030s and beyond will want.